This was the first triathlon of the Eastern Region series and  all the children were very much looking forward to racing. Despite the early wake up call for many, the smell of bacon and sausages sizzling on the grill and the gentle warmth of the morning sunshine was a welcome greeting as the marshal’s guided the throng of vehicles,  through the school grounds and into a spot just yards from the main event area.

The convenient car parking was just one of a number of provisions that helped this event to become a well organised and enjoyable spectacle for all, from the ample refreshments, toilet arrangements, various spectator points, through to the race course organisation and well delivered race commentary, , I am sure that the organisers will be extremely pleased with their events success for 2017. However, I understand that the school will no longer be available for 2018, so let’s hope that the alternative location will ensure the same high standards are maintained for the future.

The course was well organised and clearly mapped out. The competitors firstly swam in small waves of 8 or less (the small pool could only accommodate 4 lanes), before running out onto a small grass corridor that led to the bike transition area. The bike and run tracks at some points ran alongside each other, which helped in providing an exciting spectacle for the keen supporters.

Tri-Force were well represented, with 13 athletes competing in their respective age groups.

Hannah Trotman and Roslyn Chase represented Tri-Force in this race. Two good performances from both girls resulted in a 12th place finish for Hannah, followed by Roslyn who completed the race in 18th position.

Tom Jarman was our only representative for the Tristar 3 boys event , and out of the 43 taking part, Thomas performed really well to finish half way up the field in 23rd place.

Eva’s dad has written this report: Eva was in the second last wave with Jess and they had a titanic battle between them. Eva came out first from the swim but Jess put in a lightning T1 to catch Eva up. Eva managed to fall over in a heap just before the mount line while Jess sailed past her. By the end of the bike Eva was slightly ahead but after transition they left for the run together. Eva opened up a 10m gap early on which then stayed like that for the whole run. On the finishing straight Jess put in a big sprint while Eva decided on a tired steady pace, leaving a virtual photo finish. They both had exactly the same time but Eva was awarded 7th and Jess 8th. Christina was 2 seconds ahead in 6th. It’s a shame they weren’t all in the same wave!

Tri-Force had two girls in this event, with Antonia completing the race in great style to top the group in first place. Robyn Hartley fought hard also to finish 28th.

For the boys, Jamie Powell worked extremely hard to end his race in 10th position.

Jaime’s dad has written this report: Jamie also had a solid race in the Tristar 2 category. Still working his way back to full fitness after injury and holiday, Jamie finished 10th boy and 12th overall. Posting the 9th quickest swim, 17th best bike leg (again including a crash on one of the tight corners) and 9th best run reflected an upturn in fitness.

Tristar 1

Without any girl’s representing Tri-Force in this event, it was all down to the boys. They all performed well in their race, with three of them finishing superbly in top 10 positions; another podium position for Lucas Hartley (3rd) , Callum Powell (6th) and Robbie Laird (7th). Oscar Mitchell also dug in to finish a very creditable 26th out of the 40 boys taking part.

Callum’s dad has written this report: In the Tristar 1 age group Callum had a consistent race with the 10th quickest swim and bike (which included a hefty crash having been taken out by another competitor on one of the tight corners) and 3rd quickest run. His fast final discipline meant Callum finished 6th in the boys category and 8th overall. There were awards for the first 1st year in each category but sadly Callum just missed out to Edward Taylor of Walden Tri. All the races showed the enormous depth of talent and popularity of triathlon in the region with fields of approximately 80 athletes in TS1 and TS2 – it was fantastic to watch and a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.”

 

Some top performances and hard work were on display at Walden and let’s hope the season continues in great style for all the Tri-Force athletes. Well done to all!